Chur

Chur

593 - 1.888m

Departure point for your train and mountain experience

Only 75 minutes by train from Zurich and you’re in the centre of Switzerland’s holiday region in the alpine city of Chur. The Glacier and Bernina Express trains which run on the local rail line, the Rhätische Bahn (RhB), link Engadin, St. Moritz, the southern Bündner valleys and Italy as well as Surselva and Zermatt. These trains also run partly on the in July 2008 announced UNESCO world heritage line and depart from Chur. The Bernina line is a superb trans-Alpine line which leads over the Bündner mountains at a gradient of 70:1000m. The Glacier Express has panoramic carriages which assure an excellent all round view of the Alps.
Chur is the only city in Switzerland with its own winter and summer sports region, conveniently linked with the city by means of an aerial cableway. 6 winter and summer resorts like Davos, Arosa, Alpenarena (Flims/Laax) or Lenzerheide and worldknown sites as the original Heidi house, the Swiss Grand Canyon or the Viamala gorge are only 45 minutes drive away.

Points of interest

Chur is Switzerland’s oldest town with a history as a settlement going back between 11’000 and 13’000 years and which has an 800 year old cathedral. To help find the most important witnesses to the town’s history, the city map and the newly introduced audio guide will lead you through the town. The audio guide is a personal city tour on your mobile phone or MP3 player. It is available in 13 languages and re-veals interesting information about the history and culture of the Alpine city in 32 chapters. Examples include the Gothic old town dating from the 15th and 16th century, where the influences of the neigh-bouring countries remain visible today and attest to the skills of the Italian master builders, and the cathe-dral with its wonderful, three-sided carved altar dating from the 15th century. Visits to the Raetian Museum with its cultural-historical and folk art collection, as well as the Art Museum with its Grisons’ paintings and sculptures from the 18th – 20th century, are particularly rewarding.

Shopping and culinary delights

The town’s 300 shops offer the largest shopping centre between Zurich and Milan. In a small area there is enormous variety from small traditional shops in the old town to large shopping centres. One can buy goods such as genuine Bündner souvenirs e.g. Engadiner Nusstorte (nut tart), dried Bündner meat from Churwalden, large mountain crystals and also articles which are hand crafted in the traditional Bündner way or from the local Rätisch tannery, wines from the Bündner Herrschaft etc. The largest market for Bündner local fresh produce is Chur’s weekly market which takes place every Saturday morning in the Obere Gasse in the old town. Bündner farmers sell their products “naturally from Graubünden” from May to October. For the evening, there are 130 restaurants, several theatres and cinemas to choose from.

Hiking and Biking

Chur is surrounded by mountains and lies in a basin only 600m high. Do as the locals do and discover the beauty of the region by setting out from Chur on foot or by mountain bike. In just 20 minutes you’ll find yourself in a different world: 1600m above sea level in the Alps, in a deep gorge or in a picturesque river-side landscape. River rafting through the Swiss Grand Canyon, golf on the driving range in Domat/Ems, guided bike tours in and around Chur or walks to the most beautiful sights in town.

Skiing and Snowboarding

Why enjoy winter sports in one area only when 6 ski and snowboard areas such as Arosa, Davos, Flims-Laax-Falera, Lenzerheide etc. are just 45 minutes away? Chur is the centre for your winter sports enjoy-ment. In the evenings you have all the advantages of a small town: 130 restaurants; concerts, theatre and cinema; the famous Giger Bar from the Oscar-winner H.R. Giger (“Alien”, “Species”); amazing food in the restaurants or the hustle and bustle of the old town in the Untere Gasse.